An application platform may implement metadata models to support different business solutions. Metadata models may include generic models of a business object, a floorplan (i.e., a user interface layout), user interface text, a process component, and a message type, among others. A business object, for example, is a software model representing real-world items used during the transaction of business. An instance of a business object metadata model may comprise a SalesOrder object model or an Organization object model. Instances of these object models, in turn, represent specific data (e.g., SalesOrder 4711, ACME corporation).
An instance of a business object metadata model (e.g., a SalesOrder object model) may specify business logic and/or data having any suitable structure. The structure may be determined based on the requirements of a business scenario in which the instance is to be deployed. A business application for a particular business scenario may require many business object object models, where the structure of each has been determined based on the requirements of the particular business scenario.
The data stored by an application platform is typically accessed according to one of two primary modalities. The first, which may be referred to as an operational modality, involves accessing and modifying the data during the day-to-day course of business. The operational modality may include, for example, reviewing and updating inventory, inputting sales figures, issuing paychecks based on salary and attendance data, etc.
An analytical modality, on the other hand, generally consists of strategic analysis of business data. Activities of the analytical modality may include comparison of profit margins by location, product and/or year, sales by brand, etc. Of course some activities may be arguably classified as belonging to either the analytical modality or the operational modality.
Separate tools are typically used for each modality. A software solution such as SAP Enterprise Suite® provides data queries, user interfaces and reports for presenting the data underlying business objects. These queries, interfaces and reports are developed by the solution provider based on a knowledge of the structure and semantics of the business objects. Customers and partners may customize or develop similar queries, interfaces and reports, based also on the business objects.
The analytical modality is generally served by Business Intelligence reporting tools, such as SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports®, or SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence®. Business Intelligence tools typically rely on a software abstraction layer that shields end users from the complexity of the physical tables. The abstraction layer allows end users to access business data stored in a database using intuitive terms rather than references to specific physical entities of the database.
The abstraction layer includes “business objects” which are different from those mentioned above. In particular, business objects of the abstraction layer may represent dimensions (i.e., along which an analysis or report may be performed), details (i.e., representing additional information on dimensions), and measures (i.e., representing indicators, most often numeric, whose values can be determined for a given combination of dimension values). In one example, a Sales measure may be used to determine the total sales for January (i.e., a value of the Month dimension) in France (i.e., a value of the Country dimension).
Systems to address the inefficiencies of the foregoing scenario are desired. In particular, the present inventors have discovered that advantages may result from providing one or more metadata models which facilitate model-based search, query, reporting and/or analytics.